Half to james p



(No Model.)

J.QOSTELLO. BUTTON.

Patented Apr. 19, 188

WITNESSES N4 EEVERS PMh-Lhlvognplwr. Wnhingicm D, O.

I UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE.

JOHN COSTELLO, or ATTLEBOBOUGH, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR or ONE- HALF TOJAMES F. SIMMS, OF SAME PLACE.

BUTTON.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 361,490, dated April19, 1887.

Application filed February 14,1887. Serial No. 227, 539. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J OHN Gosrnmoa citi zen of the United States and aresident of Attleborough, in the county of Bristol and State ofMassachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inButtons; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear,and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of thisspecification, and in which- Figures 1 and 2 are perspective views,respectively, from above and below, of as much of my improved button aswill illustrate my invention. Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the same.Fig. 4 is a view of the under side of the back plate of the button. Fig.5 is a sectional view of a modified form of the button. Fig. 6 is a viewof the back plate of this form. Fig. 6 is a view of one of the arms.Fig. 7 is a perspective view from above, andFig. 8 is a perspectiveview,from below, of another modification of the button. Fig. 9 is a sectionalview of this form, and Figs. 10 and 11 are respectively a perspectiveview, seed from below, and a sectional view, of still anothermodification.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all thefigures.

My invention has relation to that class of buttons in which two arms orlevers are pivoted in the back of the head of the button and may betilted straight down for insertion into the button-hole andto oppositesides for securing the button,suitable springs bearing against the headsof the arms and holding them in their proper positions; and it consistsin the improved construction and combination of parts of such a button,as hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings the numeral 1 indicates the back plate ofthe head, which plate is formed with a slot, 2, in its center, the saidslot consisting of a longer portion, 3, and a shorter central portion orextension, 4, of the same width as the longer portion. Two transverseribs or rods, 5, are formed upon the upper side of the back plate at theouter edges of the slot portions formed by the rolled edges of the same,and serve as i'ulcrafor the wide heads 6 of the arms 7 and 8. One narrowarm, 7, projects with its outer portion through the short slot portion,and is curved in a direction off from the head, and the wider arm, 8,has a longitudinal slot, 9, and projects through the longer slotportion, the narrow arm fitting in the slot of the Wide arm, and thewide arm having a curve in the opposite direction to the narrow arm.

The headsof the arms are formed with transverse grooves or bearings 10,with which they fit and turn upon the transverse rods or ribs, and twosides of the heads are formed with fiat faces 11 and 12, at right anglesto each other, bearing with'these faces against a flat spring, 18,secured above the back plate and serving to retain the arms in their twopositions'by bearing against the faces of the heads, having sufficientspring to admit of the arms being tilted and the edge between the facesbeing forced under it.

When the button is to be inserted into the button-hole, the two arms aretilted down, the narrow arm tilting within the slot in the wide arm andbearing with its end against the closed end of the slot, and the armsmay now be inserted through the button-hole, the flat faces of the headsbearing against the spring keeping the ends of the arms together.

After the arms have been inserted they may be tilted to the sides, andthe spring will force them to project in opposite directions, retainingthe button in the hole.

By corrugating the meeting faces of the heads and upper curved portionsof the arms the said arms may be made to tilt together, the corrugationsof one arm meshing with the corrugations of the other arm.

In Figs. 5 and 6 are shown views of a modified form of this button, inwhich the slot is of the same width at all places, and the head of thenarrow arm formed with a short extension, 14, of the same width as thewide arm, which extension passes through the slot, and the bearings ofthe heads of the arms turn upon the edges of the slot without having anyribs or rods to turn upon. The other parts of I the button are the sameas in the first described them, the arms having their inner ends, 19,

bent tohook over the separating bulge or rib, and bearing with theirupper sides against two springs, 20, secured with their opposite ends atopposite sides of the bulges upon the upper side of the back plate. Thearms may be tilted downward in the same manner as in the other forms andinserted through the button-hole, and may be tilted to the sidessecuring the button.

In Figs. and 11 are shown views of another modified form of the button,in which the arms and their heads are of the same c011- struction as thearms shown in the first two forms, but in which the upper ends of thearms are inserted through a slot, 21, trans verse to the heads of thearms, and formed in a spring-plate, 22, the ends of the slot havingnarrow extensions 23 extending to near the edge of the plate, thespringplate being of the same construction as the spring-plate shown anddescribed in my allowed application, Serial No. 219,160, filed November17, 1886, and allowed January 18, 1887; and the fiat faces of the headsof the arms bear against a backing plate, 24, similar to the platedescribed in the above-mentioned application. The operation of thisbutton is similar to the operation of the other forms, and needs nofurther explanation.

Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent of the United States- In a button, the combination of aback plate of the head, having a slot formed with a short extension atits center of the same width as the longer portion, and having ribs orrods formed at the outer edges of the slot and extension, twodivergingly curved arms having transverse heads at their upper endsformed with two fiat faces at rightangles to each other, and formed withrounded bearings fitting upon the ribs or rods, the said arms projectingthrough the slots with their outer curved portions, and having one wideand longitudinallyslotted portion and one narrow portion passing throughthe respective wide and narrow slots, and having the narrow armprojecting in and sliding in the slot of the wide arm, and a flat

